1. A period of Social, Economic and Technological change
The “Roaring” 1920’s
A period of Social, Economic and Technological change

2. 1920’s Technology changes
The following developments changed American life and the standard of living
1) Factory and labor productivity
2) Transportation
3) Communication
4) Electrification

3. #1) Factory and Labor productivity
Rise of Mechanization –Machines do the job instead of a person
The Assembly line – used by Henry Ford, to MASS PRODUCE his automobiles.
(factories could make lots of items at once, so they could be sold much more cheaply)
Assembly line exercise – Let’s create our own

7. #2) Transportation Improvement
Transportation was improved by Ford’s ability to make automobiles affordable. This led to:
Greater mobility for everyone
The creation of jobs
Growth of Transportation related industries (such as road construction, oil, steel)
Movement to suburban areas

9. More Transportation Changes
The Wright Brothers invented the first airplane and had their first successful flight on December 17th 1903 at Kitty Hawk, NC

10. By the 1920’s, the first commercial airports began to appear.

11. #3) Communication Changes
Increased availability
of telephones
Development of the
radio and broadcast
Industry
Movies

12. Guglielmo Marconi and David Sarnoff
The founding fathers
of Radio and Broadcast
Marconi’s invention
became the radio
Sarnoff became a
famous broadcaster in both
Radio and television
(created NBC).

13. Electrification Changes
Labor Saving Products
(Washing Machines, electric
stoves)
Electric Lighting in Rural
areas
Entertainment (radio)
Baby Ruth Controversy
Improved communications

14. Social and Economic Changes
The Roaring 1920’s
Social and Economic
Changes

15. Remember Prohibition 18th Amendment (1919)
During Prohibition:
Speakeasies were places for people to drink alcoholic beverages illegally
Bootleggers made and smuggled alcohol illegally and promoted organized crime
Prohibition was repealed by the 21st amendment (1933)

16. Most Notorious bootlegger and crime boss was Al Capone
Al Capone’s cell at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania

17. The Great Migration
Good jobs in the South were scarce for African Americans, and they faced severe discrimination and violence
The Great Migration: From ’s Nearly 500,000 African Americans moved from the rural South to Northern and Midwestern cities seeking job opportunities
African Americans still faced some discrimination and violence in the North and Midwest, but also had better job and quality of life opportunities

18. Cultural climate of the 1920’s and 1930’s
Art, Music, and Literature
(1920’s slang)

19. The 1920’s culture
The 1920’s and 1930’s were important decades for American Art, Literature, and music:
The icons of the time:
Langston Hughes
Duke Ellington
Georgia O’Keeffe
** Also, at this time, was a cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance**

20. ART
Georgia O’Keeffe – Best known for urban and Southwest scenes

21. More Georgia O’Keeffe

22. Literature
F. Scott Fitzgerald – A novelist who wrote about the jazz age of the 1920’s.
Also wrote a short story called “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
John Steinbeck – A novelist who portrayed the strength of poor migrant workers of the 1930’s
won a Pulitzer for The Grapes of Wrath

23. F. Scott Fitzgerald & John Steinbeck

24. Music
Aaron Copland and George Gershwin – both were famous for writing uniquely American music
Aaron Copland “Fanfare for the Common Man”
George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue”

25. Aaron Copland and George Gershwin

26. Harlem Renaissance
African American artists, writers, and musicians, based in Harlem (which is in New York City) revealed the freshness and variety of African American culture.
Harlem Renaissance=A new African American
Culture and identity
Great Migration skit

27. ART (Harlem Renaissance) Jacob Lawrence – A painter who chronicled the experiences of the Great Migration through Art

28. More Jacob Lawrence “Self portrait” (1977)

29. Jacob Lawrence “Exploring the city”

30. Literature (Harlem Renaissance)
Langston Hughes- A poet who combined the experiences of African and American cultural roots

31. Music The popularity of these artists spread beyond Harlem to the rest of Society
Duke Ellington
Was a Jazz Musician
Wrote and performed hundreds of pieces, but most well known is “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing”
Louis Armstrong
Was a jazz musician
Known for his vocal talents as well
Most famous piece was “What a wonderful world”

32. Duke Ellington & Louis Armstrong

33. Music Bessie Smith – was a famous blues singer from the Harlem
Renaissance
Was referred to as
“The Empress of the Blues”